Meet Our WINNERS! The 2020 el Restaurante/Jarritos MANAGERS OF THE YEAR
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Managers are essential to Mexican restaurants’ success, and that has never been more true than during this bizarre year. That’s why el Restaurante and Jarritos are so pleased to honor the best managers at Mexican/Latin restaurants in the United States. We hope you enjoy—and are inspired by—the stories of these winners. – By Ed Avis
Mary Buxton
FIRST PLACE: Mary Buxton,
stay home with their families.
El Toro Mexican Restaurant, Palestine, Texas
About 10 to 15 percent of her
When COVID crashed into
75 employees decided to stay home, but the rest continued
the world six months ago,
working. Eventually most of
nobody knew quite what to
those who didn’t stay decided
do. But Mary Buxton, general
to return, and they were wel-
manager of El Toro Mexican
comed back. Keeping the staff
Restaurant in Palestine, Texas,
employed was not difficult,
knew that her first move had
because Buxton quickly
to be to reassure staff that El
ramped up the restaurant’s
Toro put their well-being first.
to-go business and initiated
“People were scared and
delivery service, which they
frustrated,” remembers
had not had before.
Buxton, who had been at
“Our to-go area was just in
El Toro only about a year
a little room, so we expanded
when the pandemic hit. “The
it to the dining room. We
main thing was to keep them
used the dining room as a
comfortable and let them
giant staging system,” she
know that whatever they felt
explains. “Coordination was
was the right thing to do we
important. We had to make
would support them.”
sure each person knew what
“Mary is an exceptional
they were responsible for, so
manager,” wrote John Mayes,
we wouldn’t have a bunch of
El Toro’s vice president of
chickens running around.”
operations, in his nomination
Next the restaurant added
of Buxton. “She has a very
delivery service. Buxton
motherly and caring love for
explains that staff who were
her staff in the FOH and BOH
willing to deliver orders were
and carries a huge amount of
asked to do double duty—
respect and admiration.”
they were also packers or
In those first days of CO-
took phone orders—because
VID, Buxton held an all-staff
delivery requests were not
meeting and told employees
steady enough to keep drivers
they could remain on staff or
constantly busy.
